Sea Lions and Birds of Prey......

Waking the next morning we discovered it had rained all night and it was forecast for the whole day as well.  I suppose this is the risk you take when you holiday in winter!  With not much to keep us busy here we decided that a day of sightseeing might be the way to avoid the worst of the weather.

Kangaroo Island is famed for its wildlife and Seal Bay on the South Coast is one of the main attractions.  We drove over during the morning and were soon walking along the boardwalks overlooking Seal Bay Conservation Park.  Here the Australian Sea Lions swim, rest and play in their natural environment while the elevated boardwalk gets you up close enough to almost touch them.

They also do tours here where you can walk on the beach with them but as a bus load had just arrived we opted for the boardwalk instead and enjoyed our time there.  The baby sea lions were very active and one of them was a little naughty and being chased around a bush by Mum.  Quite amusing and just so cute we spent lots of time here just enjoying the experience. They are also very noisy and smelly!

Leaving the boardwalk we drove the short distance around to Bales Beach, the next bay just around the headland.  We walked down onto the beach and while there were no seals on the sand we did see a few swimming in the shallows nearby.  

As we walked back to the car the drizzle started again so we went in search of somewhere dry for our next stop.  We found this not far along the road in the form of Raptor Domain.  I loved the Bee welcoming you at the front door!

A bird and reptile park where during the hour long 'inflight' presentation you can get up close and personal with the birds. These include the majestic eagles, mystical owls, spectacular falcons and cheeky kookaburras.

Arriving with over an hour until the next show we opted to wait in the cafe cum information centre cum gift shop and filled in our time with coffee and watched the Kangaroo Island video whetting our appetite to see lots more of the island.  The temperature seemed to be plummeting and even inside here we needed to add more layers but at least the rain had stopped by the time we made our way outside to see the 'Birds of Prey' in action.

It was worth the wait and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing these beautiful birds up close.  The Barn Owl, and the lovely Barking Owl were very friendly and so soft.  

The Australian Hobby was very fast and such a handsome little fellow.  

The Black Breasted Buzzard bigger and so intelligent as he used the rocks to crack the egg shells to get his food.

The two kookaburras, Banjo and Clancy, were just so cute and cheeky they had the audience chuckling away as they tried to steal the food from the handlers bag.  Too fast for photos though so you will just have to imagine them!

And of course to see the majestic Wedge Tailed Eagle so close was almost as special as seeing them soaring overhead in the wild.

Bill got some lovely pictures of these birds and while he does prefer to get these shots in the wild, places like these give you the opportunity to see some you might not otherwise find.

We left here and drove back to American River trying our luck again where we saw the cockatoos last night.  In luck again we found two birds feeding quietly on a small drooping she-oak and once again Bill spent a half hour or so with the camera clicking before returning to the Oystercatchers at our doorstep.

With darkness closing in again and the temperature plummeting we headed home to the heater and a big pot of chicken and vegetable soup.  Hopefully tomorrow would be fine as we intended to head back to Penneshaw for the Farmers Market in the morning.

Until then..........